Well Control: Principles and Practice
التحكم في الآبار: المبادئ والتطبيق
- Next date
- 7–11 December 2026Paris
- Fees from
- £2,950per delegate
- Formats
- Classroom · Online6 sessions
- Duration
- 5 daysCertificate
Overview
This five-day course builds a solid understanding of well control principles and practice, from pressure fundamentals and kick detection to shut-in procedures and kill methods. Participants work through kill sheets, pressure calculations and realistic scenarios to respond correctly and confidently when a kick occurs, in line with recognised industry practice.
Objectives
- Calculate hydrostatic, formation and fracture pressures and convert between gradients and mud weights
- Explain the causes of kicks and recognise early warning signs
- Monitor the well during drilling and tripping using trip sheets and flow checks
- Apply correct shut-in procedures for drilling and tripping operations
- Describe BOP stack, accumulator and choke manifold components and functions
- Prepare and interpret a kill sheet
- Compare the Driller's, Wait and Weight and volumetric kill methods
- Manage common well control complications and understand barrier responsibilities
Who should attend
Drilling engineers, drilling supervisors, toolpushers, drillers and assistant drillers, completion and well intervention staff, and engineers preparing for IWCF or IADC WellSharp certification.
Training methodology
Instructor-led sessions, step-by-step worked calculations, kill sheet exercises, scenario-based drills, analysis of real well control incidents, group discussions and a final assessment.
Programme outline
Day1Pressure Fundamentals
- Hydrostatic pressure and pressure gradients
- Mud weight conversions and units
- Normal and abnormal formation pressures
- Fracture pressure, LOT and MAASP
- The U-tube concept
- Bottom-hole pressure and equivalent circulating density
- Practical exercise: Pressure calculations
Day2Kick Causes and Detection
- Causes of kicks: insufficient mud weight, swabbing, failure to fill the hole, lost circulation
- Warning signs and positive kick indicators
- Flow checks and their correct use
- Trip sheets and trip tank monitoring
- Gas behaviour, expansion and migration
- Shallow gas and riser gas hazards
- Practical exercise: Completing a trip sheet
Day3Shut-in Procedures and Equipment
- Hard and soft shut-in methods
- Shut-in while drilling and while tripping
- BOP stack components and arrangements
- Accumulator unit and choke manifold
- Reading and interpreting SIDPP and SICP
- Kick volume and kick type estimation
- Practical exercise: Preparing a kill sheet
Day4Well Kill Methods
- Principle of constant bottom-hole pressure
- Driller's method
- Wait and Weight method
- Volumetric method and lubricate-and-bleed
- Bullheading: when and how
- Kick tolerance concept
- Practical exercise: Pressure schedules for each method
Day5Complications and Well Control Organisation
- Plugged nozzles, choke wash-out and pump failure
- Lost circulation during a kill operation
- Stripping operations
- Considerations for HPHT and horizontal wells
- Well barriers and barrier philosophy
- Roles and responsibilities of the well control team
- Case studies of major well control incidents and final assessment
Dates and fees
Fees are in GBP. per delegate.
Certificate
Every delegate who attends the full programme receives a Harfard Technology certificate of completion stating the course title, duration, dates and venue.
Frequently asked questions
Will I receive a certificate?
What is the difference between classroom and online?
Can you run this course for our company?
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